[BCMA] Building Security Issues

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv.]

Dear Hazel Godley,

 

Have you tried meeting with the homeless people who are littering and
potentially damaging your museum property?    If you and/or another staff
member(s) or perhaps volunteer(s) talked with them, perhaps even involved
them in some project to do with your museum, such as planting flowers
(supplied by the museum) in the garden they're using, they may feel included
and thus gain a sense of joint responsibility.  The suggestion may sound
whimsical but is still worth considering if you've not done so already.

 

Your plea is timely; there's a campaign on right now to put a human face on
the homeless (HumansForHumans.ca).  It's under the banner of Raising the
Roof.  That organisation might be able to give some helpful advice.

 

Good luck!

 

Christine Pilgrim

Hands-on-History Interpreter

www.christinepilgrim.com 

 

From: bcma-bounces at lists.vifa.ca [mailto:bcma-bounces at lists.vifa.ca] On
Behalf Of Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv.
Sent: April-09-15 4:09 PM
To: bcma at lists.vifa.ca
Subject: [BCMA] Building Security Issues

 

Please Help!

 

We are facing some security issues at our museum which pertain to the
outside space, the museum grounds.  Unfortunately, because of the location
and style of our building, as well as very limited open hours, it has become
somewhat of a local "hangout" where groups of street people will gather,
smoke, eat, spread their stuff out etc., along with other undesirable
activity, much illegal.  The worst part about it is that our 108 year old
building is at serious risk.  Cigarette butts are constantly snuffed out on
the wooden porch or flicked into the nearby bark mulch (even during a 35
degree summer day) plus excessive garbage is always left behind and
vandalism to the building is a constant problem; new "tags" are added daily
despite us constantly painting over them.  Sometimes dangerous garbage (drug
paraphernalia) is also left behind, leaving other members of the public as
risk. 

 

I have done a lot of research into possible solutions to the problem and
have come to the conclusion, after trying many more subtle approaches, that
the only way to keep this from happening is to have our grounds fenced in,
monitored for trespassing, and only open during the hours that the museum is
open.  However, our building (and the grounds) is owned by the District of
Mission and leased to the Historical Society for $1 per year, so I have run
into the argument that you cannot fence in "public" grounds.  As far as I'm
concernd, the grounds are just an extension of the Museum and if you can't
wander through the Museum (which is a public building) when it is closed,
why should you be able to wander through the grounds?

 

Does anyone else have this security situation in place?  Do you know of any
Museum's (in Canada) that do?  As in, the building is owned, but not run, by
the city/district/town and yet the grounds are fenced?  I am hoping to find
examples of where this does happen to present with my argument.  Could
anyone suggest any other Museums for me to contact that may have such a
system in place?

 

Please respond via the listserv or directly to info at missionmuseum.com 

 

Thank you in advance for any input on this matter, I appreciate any and all
help I can get!

 

 

Hazel Godley

Manager

 LOGOTYPE_ANTGOLOD

Operated by the Mission District Historical Society

 

604-826-1011

info at missionmuseum.com

www.missionmuseum.com <http://www.missionmuseum.com/>  

 

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